Gadessa megillalis Walker

Taxonomy

The holotype of Botys megillalis Walker, 1859d: 700-701, from Sarawak is in the Oxford U.M.N.H. The type #1058 was collected by A.R. Wallace.

• Nec syn. Gadessa characteristica Warren 1896a, Jan: 103.
• Nec syn. Dichocrocis veisealis Swinhoe 1906: 292 (treated as a junior subjective syn. in LepIndex and Globiz but here we treat it as a good sp.
• nec syn. Botys sordidalis Snellen, 1890 (treated as syn in LepIndex).

Description

An pale buff species with narrow  blackish ante-median and post-median lines. There is an elongate stigma in the FW cell and a very small punctum in the proximal end of the cell. In some specimens the mark is larger and more c-shaped. There are three small black dots at the very base of the FW. The mid part of the FW post-median line is coarsley serrate but does not extend distally as in H. basalis but retracts to the median position creating a shallow loop. The termenae of both wings have a narrow dark subtermenal line the cillia are pale with a darker bases this create obvious twin marginal lines.  The head, thorax and abdomen are ochreous with a pair of large dark ‘glandular?’ black patches near the abdomen base which almost meet dorsally. The males have a narrow black is band near the tip of the abdomen. Schulze (2000) taxon #149 ‘Pleuroptya sp. 5’. Schulze (2000) taxon #558 ‘Herpetogramma sp. 33’ Similar spp. Gadessa veiseali, G. characteristica  & Gadessa sp. 3.

References

• Warren, W. (1896a, Jan): XIII New genera and species of Pyralidae, Thyrididae, and Epiplemidae. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 6, 17 (97): 94-106.
• Swinhoe, C., (1906a) XXXVI New and little known species of Heterocera from the East. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist., Ser. 7, 17 (94): 283-297.
• Walker, F. (1859d [May 10]) XVIII Pyralites, In; List Spec. Lepid. Ins. Coll. B. M., Cat. Lepid. Heterocera. Ser. 4, 18: 509-798.